China lifts export limits on rare earth minerals
Having lost its case before the World Trade Organization China has lifted the limits it had placed on the export of rare earth minerals back in 2009.
Because of low costs, China produces about 90% of all rare earths worldwide, needed for most high tech electronics. This decision eases a concern that has existed now for better part of a half decade.
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Having lost its case before the World Trade Organization China has lifted the limits it had placed on the export of rare earth minerals back in 2009.
Because of low costs, China produces about 90% of all rare earths worldwide, needed for most high tech electronics. This decision eases a concern that has existed now for better part of a half decade.
Readers!
Every February I run a fund-raising drive during my birthday month. This year I celebrate my 72nd birthday, and hope and plan to continue writing and posting on Behind the Black for as long as I am able.
I hope my readers will support this effort. As I did in my November fund-raising drive, I am offering autographed copies of my books for large donations. Donate $250 and you can have a choice of the hardback of either Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8 or Conscious Choice: The origins of slavery in America and why it matters today and for our future in outer space. Donate $200 and you can get an autographed paperback copy of either.
Please consider supporting my work here at Behind the Black. My analysis of space, politics, and culture, taken from the perspective of an historian, is almost always on the money and ahead of the game. For example, in 2020 I correctly predicted that the COVID panic was unnecessary, that the virus was apparently simply a variation of the flu, that masks were not simply pointless but if worn incorrectly were a health threat, that the lockdowns were a disaster and did nothing to stop the spread of COVID. Every one of those 2020 conclusions has turned out right.
Your help allows me to do this kind of intelligent analysis. I take no advertising or sponsors, so my reporting isn't influenced by donations by established space or drug companies. Instead, I rely entirely on donations and subscriptions from my readers, which gives me the freedom to write what I think, unencumbered by outside influences.
You can support me either by giving a one-time contribution or a regular subscription. There are four ways of doing so:
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4. Donate by check, payable to Robert Zimmerman and mailed to
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I doubt the Red Chinese will fully comply.
http://ceramics.org/ceramic-tech-today/china-defends-rare-earth-stance-smuggling-exceeding-legal-exports
http://rareearthinvestingnews.com/19427-rare-earth-smuggling-still-rife-in-china.html
China has had a problem with its REE industry.
They tried to force foreign investment into REE industries inside China by restricting exports of the raw materials. But it didn’t quite turn out as they hoped.
It turns out that governmental corruption is so bad in China that they could not stop the smuggling of the stuff out of the country.
Not small quantities but HUGE amounts were being smuggled out. Amounts larger than the total of the legal amounts shipped. Something in excess of 20,000 tons were smuggled out the year after the limits were imposed.
After years of trying to stop it with little to no arrests it looks like they finally gave in.
Corruption is so bad in China even moving in Army troops didn’t stop it. The new military commanders were just paid off like the old ones were.
Its believed by many that the real heads of the smuggling operations are in fact members of the Communist Party of China (or just ‘The Party’) and are those in charge of the provinces and regions. Thus almost untouchable.
The WTO ruling did little to change their minds. If they could have stopped the smuggling they could have ignored the WTO. Everyone would have been pretty much forced to come to them and thus the central national government for the minerals.